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General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

Under these new regulations, which come into effect from the 25th May 2018, we are required by Law, to provide our patients with a Practice Privacy Notice. For further information please see our 'latest news' section.

Long Term Conditions

What Are Chronic Diseases?

Chronic Diseases are long-term health conditions that can be controlled, but in some cases not cured.

Regular chronic disease management is important not only to ensure your health is managed and controlled by a healthcare professional but also we aim to help people control the effects of their chronic illness themselves.

Main Chronic Diseases:-

Asthma

Chronic Heart Disease (CHD)

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Dementia

Diabetes

Epilepsy

Hypothyroidism

Hypertension

Learning Disabilities

Mental Health

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Chronic Diseases & Long Term Conditions

Asthma

Asthma is a long-term condition that affects your airways - the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. You could say that someone with asthma has 'sensitive' airways that are inflamed and ready to react when they come into contact with something they don't like.

Asthma tends to run in families, especially when there's also a history of allergies and/or smoking.

To control Asthma, patients need to work closely with their doctor's surgery to develop an effective therapeutic regime to manage and control their condition. If asthma is not well controlled the chances of an asthma attack are significantly increased.

There is now a useful website and an app created by RightBreathe, to download on Apple and Android products. This has been designed to aid patients in using their inhaled therapy and devices more efficiently.

Note: Please ensure that when you are downloading the app, that you select the correct one - please see RightBreathe's company logo, detailed on their website:-

Chronic Heart Disease (CHD)

Cardiovascular disease includes all the diseases of the heart and circulation including coronary heart disease, angina, heart attack, congenital heart disease and stroke. Making lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, following a healthy diet and maintaining regular exercise are all crucial factors to consider when managing chronic heart disease. Taking responsibility for your CHD will enable you to manage your CHD more effectively. Regular reviews with our CHD specialist nurse are essential in managing your CHD.

There is now a useful website and an app created by RightBreathe, to download on Apple and Android products. This has been designed to aid patients in using their inhaled therapy and devices more efficiently.

Note: Please ensure that when you are downloading the app, that you select the correct one - please see RightBreathe's company logo, detailed on their website:-

Dementia

Dementia is a common condition. Your risk of developing dementia increases as you get older, and the condition usually occurs in people over the age of 65.

Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an on-going decline of the brain and its abilities. This includes problems with:

memory loss

thinking speed

mental agility

language

understanding

judgement

People with dementia can become apathetic or uninterested in their usual activities, and have problems controlling their emotions. They may also find social situations challenging, lose interest in socialising, and aspects of their personality may change.

A person with dementia may lose empathy (understanding and compassion), they may see or hear things that other people do not (hallucinations) or they may make false claims or statements.

As dementia affects a person's mental abilities, they may find planning and organising difficult. Maintaining their independence may also become a problem. A person with dementia will therefore usually need help from friends or relatives, including help with decision making.

Your GP will discuss the possible causes of memory loss with you, including dementia. Other symptoms can include:

increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require concentration and planning

depression

changes in personality and mood

periods of mental confusion

difficulty finding the right words

Most types of dementia can't be cured, but if it is detected early there are ways you can slow it down and maintain mental function.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly. Effective diabetes care can only be achieved through working closely with your diabetes healthcare team. We have a specialised Nurse here to support you and help you in self-managing your diabetes. Although regular check up with the surgery to monitor your diabetes is crucial, the most important person in the team is you. The decisions you make will affect you. Taking responsibility for your diabetes will enable you to manage your diabetes more effectively.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain and causes repeated seizures.

Epilepsy is estimated to affect more than 500,000 people in the UK. This means that almost one in every 100 people has the condition.

Seizures

The cells in the brain, known as neurons, conduct electrical signals and communicate with each other in the brain using chemical messengers. During a seizure, there are abnormal bursts of neurons firing off electrical impulses, which can cause the brain and body to behave strangely.

The severity of seizures can differ from person to person. Some people simply experience an odd feeling with no loss of awareness, or may have a "trance-like" state for a few seconds or minutes, while others lose consciousness and have convulsions (uncontrollable shaking of the body).

Some people may only have a single seizure at some point during their life. If they do not have a high risk of having further seizures, they would not be regarded as having epilepsy.

Hyperthyroidism

Common signs of an underactive thyroid are tiredness, weight gain and feeling depressed.

An underactive thyroid can often be successfully treated by taking daily hormone tablets to replace the hormones your thyroid isn't making.

There's no way of preventing an underactive thyroid. Most cases are caused either by the immune system attacking the thyroid gland and damaging it, or by damage to the thyroid that occurs during some treatments for an overactive thyroid or thyroid cancer.

Mental Health

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common condition, in which a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries restricts blood supply to leg muscles. It's also known as peripheral vascular disease (PVD).